St. Paul daily globe., 1887-08-21

my mind ii was ineXplicable that a
woman should endure Disagreement
of the kind. which can be gotten rid of
without any trouble worth mentioning.
The reason for it is very curious one.
/ think. There is a superstition, it
seems, more or less prevalent every
where, but especially so in New Eng
land. to the effect that a birth mark
should not on any account be removed,
lest some evil befall in consequence.
All mOleS are not birthmarks, it
is true. but this peculiar notion
applies as well to such morbid de-
velopments of skin tissue as may
appear later in life. Better far is it to
endure the annoy ance their presence Oc-
caSionS than to invite inevitable mis-
fortune by destroying them. But even
so. why then should not the victims of
this strange belief pluck out, chop off.
or otherwise do away with the uIi-
slightly tufts of hair which not unusually
ddOrn the eXcreSenceS aforesaid? One
fair creature / met upon the common
yesterday was decorated with half-a-
dozen of the Sc vegetable growthS, each
of them three or four inches III length.
and a man whom / saw few minutes
later on a suburban train had a wisp
of red beard a feet long Sprouting from
a moth patch on one side of his face,
though otherwise he was clean shaved.
These tufts are not worn for beauty'S
sake, but simply fer the reason that to
cut them off or remove them in any
way would be to invite the worst sort of
bad luck. Such is the faith in which
the local population is reared. AsSur-
edly one might expect to find super
stition like this among the cannibal
islanders. but not in the center of East
ern cultivation and intellectual refine
ment.
Concerning the means whereby such
diSfigurementS may be disposed of / OBJ
tanned some information day or two
ago from a surgeon. Two methods of
treatment are employed, it appears
cautery and the knife. If the mole under
consideration is simply diScolGration
of the skin, produced by an accumula-
ton OF pigment. it is easily wiped out
with a stick of lunar caustic. Ii it is an
eXcresence, the lancet readily cuts it in
twain and extirpates it. In either case
the operation is almost painless. and the
slight scar which remains is cOmBara-
lively unobieetiOnable. The hairs are
removed incidentally by the destruction
of their follicleS. To pluck them out is
useless. and to cut them only makes
cess by which the roots are killed
through the action of electricity has one
serious disadvantage: the needle used
to pierce the little sacs whence the hair
spring leaves ''pin-hoieS" in the cuticle
too palpable to the eye. The only way
is to burn cut the substance of the mole
there is not the slightest danger of
starting a cancer in this manner, las some
very silly people believe-and the
trouble will not again appear in the same
spot. The Boston woman is not remark
able for her beauty anyway. and it is to
be regretted that she Sholld permit her
superstitions to render her gratuitOusly
unattractiSe.
A SUPERSFITfoUS FAD.
The enlightened Bostonian is exhibit
ing tendency to return to the super
stitions of his fOrefathers. He is even
cultiyating a belief in ghosts, and de-
votes much of his attention to proWiing
about in search of ''phantaSms of the
dead, ''aS speokS proper are scientifically
termed by the Society for Psychical Re-
search. The local branch of this society
numbers upon its roll of membership
many of our most distinguished citizens
in business and professional circles,
who. while not engaged in pursuing
the elusive siKpence, occupy their time
in exploring haunted houses and i'm
trying to project their own phantaSmS-
such coming under the head of ghosts
improper-iHte other peoples bed
rooms, and so on. In this important
work the committee on apparitionS is
eHgroSsed, while other committees are
busy investigating the subject of thought
transference, mind-reading, etc. etc.
In short, the spookical question has as
sumed the proportions of a fad,
and the whole community is stirred
UP over it. Not many weeks ago
our most eminent apostle of fashion
able Christianity, Rev. Phillips Brooks,
remarked in the course of sermon that
within 100 years our descendants would
very likely find it in their power to COM
mune with the spirits of departed
friends. Evidently Mr.. Brooks expects
this to come about through the gradual
development of science which was re-
garded not long ago by the church as in
fernal. Thus it appears that within
very few years the devil and Mr.. Brooks
have changed sides upon this interesting
point. But. whether his Satanic Majesty
has convinced Mr.. Brooks, or eontrari-
wise, 1t is impossible to ascertain.
1t seems to me that, however we may
feel inclined through motives of curios-
ity to establish communications with the
deceased, it is desirable that the thing
should not be carried too far: for it is
impossible to tell what dangers might
arise from the cultivation of too
great a degree of intimacy with
these very doubtful people on the
other side of the awful threshold.
Who can tell how far they might be dis
posed to take advantage of an epportun-
ity to place themselves upon a footing
of familiarity which we should find ex-
ceedingly embarrassing? For, although
it may be agreeable enough to meet
phantom occasionally, and in the inter
est of science, it would scarcely be
pleasant to be pursued continually by a
crowd of them. The alarming nature
of this possibility is apparent when it is
considered that, according to the latest
published estimates. $1,000 people have
died for every person now living; so
that some 60, ,O00, 200, ,0O0, 900 ghosts are at
present available for haunting purposes.
Fer my own part, am quite satisfied to
postpone all acquaintance with spirits
(non-alcoholic) until after my own de-
mise.
WORMS IN CATS TAILS.
Speaking of superstitions reminds me
Of kerry extraordinary one, to which
my attention was called the other day
by an aged female neighbor who ocea-
sionally obtained from me a small gift
of eggs, fresh laid by my imported
Brahma hens. l was handing her six
nice brown ones over the fence when
my kitten, half grown-he is tortoise
shell and we call him the Mock Turtle
came stalking along the top rail.
That's pretty cat" said the old
woman. 'sM0st big enough to have its
tail cut, isn't it?''
Its tail cut?" repeated, interroga-
lively. why, who ever heard Of cut
ting cats tail?'
NEARLY everybody does it herea-
abouts," was the reply. 'sNo cat can